


Luck of the Stars

by Darkicedragon



Category: Noblesse (Manhwa)
Genre: Gen, Space AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:21:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25513489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkicedragon/pseuds/Darkicedragon
Summary: It started with Frankenstein chasing up the engineering officer, Muzaka Starr, for a late checkup. But there's something about the man that interests Frankenstein the more he interacts with him.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Space AU square for trope_bingo. :D  
> Going from fantasy genre to sci-fi, ahahah. This is more like a Star Trek au, ahah. It'll be much shorter than Gaining Strength, at just 5 parts.

Frankenstein narrowed his eyes as he scanned the cafeteria, searching for the yellow uniform of an engineering officer. He picked out a few, but dismissed them, continuing to search. He was looking for long silver hair.  
  
Ah ha. His eyes settled on silver hair long enough to sit on even while it was braided, the youngish face accompanying it. Frankenstein was on the wrong side to see the distinctive scar that cut down Muzaka Starr's jaw, but the rest of him fit the profile Frankenstein had pulled up.  
  
Frankenstein walked up to Starr's table and cleared his throat, making Starr looking up. Because he was watching, he saw Starr's eyes flick over the blue of his medical uniform, jumping to the white of his doctor's jacket, before finally going up to his face.  
  
"Mr Muzaka Starr?" Frankenstein said, seeing just how deeply the scar on his face cut, reaching halfway up his cheek. An engineering accident or something else? If it was the former, how hadn't Starr been able to access the medical supplies that would have stopped the scarring in time? Frankenstein hadn't delved too far into his medical record to know.  
  
"Yeah...?" Starr said.  
  
"Good," Frankenstein said, smiling. "I'm Doctor Lee - I've tried contacting you multiple times through your messages and comms asking you to come for a checkup, but you haven't responded to either." He could understand missing a checkup, but Starr hadn't been seen in _years_. Frankenstein didn't know how Starr had slipped through the cracks for so long, but he would rectify that mistake. "So I figured that I would seek you out _personally_." There had been a lull in patients needing to be seen to, and lunch was one of the easiest times to find someone on the ship.  
  
"Oh, yeah," Starr said, rubbing the back of his neck as he chuckled weakly. "I'd been busy and kept forgetting to answer back."  
  
"We're all busy here," Frankenstein said, stifling his sigh, "but making sure you're healthy is also important. As you're on your break right now, you can spare five minutes for a checkup."  
  
Starr's eyes went wide, and while he opened his mouth, nothing came out.  
  
Frankenstein raised his eyebrows. "Is there something I should know?" Starr's record hadn't mentioned an aversion to the medical bay or those of the profession.  
  
"Heh, I'm afraid of needles."  
  
He frowned. "We haven't used needles for decades." If Starr wasn't going to tell him the true reason, or try to deflect if something was bothering him, then that would make treating him more difficult.  
  
This time, Starr laughed, picking up his tray. "Yeah, I know. I'm comin'."  
  
Hmm, at least he wasn't trying to get away.

* * *

  
It didn't take them long to reach the medical bay, Frankenstein heading for the scanners straight away.  
  
"How have you been feeling?" he asked, pulling up the screen as he heard Starr follow him in.  
  
"All right."  
  
"Sleeping well? Exercising?"  
  
"Yep, and yep."  
  
Frankenstein tapped in Muzaka's name, finding his medical file easily enough. "You were named after the Muzaka galaxy?" he asked, Muzaka stepping within the scanner's range. With Muzaka's family name, there must be a naming convention with at least his parents.  
  
"Yeah, kinda."  
  
Frankenstein arched an eyebrow. How did someone 'kind of' get named after one of the largest galaxies in the explored universe? But there were also so many languages that it may have been a coincidence that his name sounded just like it.  
  
He waited for the scan to finish and the scanner's report.  
  
"So! You been busy?" Muzaka said.  
  
Frankenstein looked across at him. "Busy enough that I had the time to come find you," he said, amused. "But otherwise, the usual accidents and mishaps." Those were easy to deal with, and his patients walked out again after a few hours.  
  
When Frankenstein looked back at the report screen, he frowned at a small jitter flicker across the text. While the machines were a few years old, they were still maintained and normally ran well. Maybe it was time to start look into what updated machinery was available now.  
  
It settled after a second, and Frankenstein nodded, comparing Starr's current information with his previous scan. "Now then, everything seems to be in order, so you're free to go."  
  
Starr broke into a wide smile.  
  
"Next time," Frankenstein said, "please answer your messages straight away so you can choose a more convenient time for yourself."  
  
Starr nodded. "Got it. Anyway, I gotta get back to work!" Starr all but ran out the med bay.  
  
Frankenstein stared after him for a second before shaking his head. He double-checked Starr's data had saved, and then closed his file, going back to check on his patients.

* * *

  
" _Doctor Lee._ "  
  
Frankenstein paused at the comms call, nodding to Ateryi as he stepped back from the patient.  
  
"Yes?" he said, walking towards the emergencies entrance.  
  
" _Sending Muzaka Starr over - accident in the engine room._ "  
  
Frankenstein frowned. Where had he heard that name before? "Burns?"  
  
" _No visible lesions. He's conscious and responsive, but he got blasted into a console, so we'd rather he get checked out._ "  
  
"Of course."  
  
Frankenstein had barely arrived at emergencies when the teleport ring lit up over one of the beds there.  
  
"No, really, I'm fine!" the man - aaah, right. Starr, the engineering officer he'd had to chase up a couple months ago. He was laying there, spark burns sprinkling his collar.  
  
"Hey, doctor," Starr said, smiling weakly at him.  
  
"I'd hope we wouldn't meet again under these circumstances," Frankenstein muttered as he bent over Starr, running his portable scanner over him.  
  
"Heh, I'm sure you say that to everyone," Starr said, grinning.  
  
Frankenstein glanced at him, a wry smile on his lips. "It's true." The less he saw someone, the more likely they were healthy. But Starr didn't seem to be in pain and was responding well to him.  
  
The scanner screen jittered and Frankenstein frowned at it. The portable scanners were newer than the bigger ones, so shouldn't be wearing down already.  
  
"What happened?" Frankenstein asked.  
  
"Nothing much," Starr said, shrugging. "Just a wonky connection that made the console explode."  
  
Frankenstein raised an eyebrow at him. "I was told it was strong enough to lift you off your feet."  
  
"It was, but it just bruised me."  
  
The medic's report came through just then and Frankenstein skimmed over the details, comparing to the scan's readout.  
  
"Any other pain?"  
  
"Nah."  
  
Starr didn't seem concussed and everything was in order on the scan.  
  
"Can I get up now?"  
  
Frankenstein nodded, watching Starr push himself upright and then stand up. Starr was steady on his feet and took a few steps with no difficulties. "Am I clear to leave?"  
  
"Yes. You are very lucky, Mr Starr," Frankenstein with a shake of the head, writing up a prescription of painkillers.  
  
"Muzaka," Starr said, taking the tab with the information.  
  
Frankenstein raised an eyebrow. "Mr Starr."  
  
"Aah, come on - I'm not a patient right now!" Starr said, flapping a hand. "That didn't even count."  
  
That was true... "Very well, Muzaka," Frankenstein said, giving him a small smile. Some officers responded better with their given name than their family name.  
  
Muzaka beamed at him. "Great. I'll get back to work after pickin' this up," he said, waving his tab.  
  
"See that you do," Frankenstein said, heading back into the wards. "If you start feeling any dizziness or being off-balance, come straight back here."  
  
"Will do!" Muzaka said as he left.  
  


* * *

  
"The engine's been using more energy recently and we're trying to figure out where the leak is," Filippo Marcelli said with a sigh as he followed Frankenstein in for his checkup.  
  
Frankenstein frowned. "Is that dangerous?"  
  
Marcelli shook his head. "It's the energy to power the engine, not the core." He paused. "She does seem to be working a little harder than usual though, probably because of the drain."  
  
Frankenstein nodded as he turned the scanner on. "But no more accidents?"  
  
Marcelli's eyes widened. "How did you - " He cut himself off with a soft laugh. "Right, of course your heard about Muzaka."  
  
"Treated him for the accident, actually," Frankenstein said, the scanner humming.  
  
Marcelli shook his head. "Muzaka's a really lucky guy and he's got the magic touch with the engine - she runs smoother whenever he's on shift, and if he's ever caught in an accident, he walks away from it with barely any injuries."  
  
"I can certainly agree to his luck," Frankenstein said, nodding. Frankenstein had seen the injuries an accident like that could inflict on the body. To walk around without even a wince... "And your own checkup is done," Frankenstein said with a smile. "Everything looks in fine, so if there's nothing else you'd like to talk about?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Then you can go." It was nice when checkups went smoothly.  
  


* * *

  
Frankenstein hummed as he studied the plants in front of him. They had a blue sheen across its variegated leaves he'd never seen before and he couldn't wait to collect samples to study them properly.  
  
"Oi!"  
  
He looked up to see Muzaka walking over to him. In civilian clothes, Muzaka kept his hair unbound, and wore a loose-fitting t-shirt and trousers. The lack of sleeves revealed an even bigger network of criss-crossing scars over his arms. Those weren't due to an engine room accident... From fighting?  
  
"You're still workin'?" Muzaka said, looking over Frankenstein's collection of sample bags.  
  
Frankenstein gestured over his own civilian clothes as his answer. "These samples won't collect themselves, however."  
  
"But you're on _shore leave_ ," Muzaka insisted. "You don't wanna explore or feel the sun not through a pressure pane?"  
  
Ah, someone who considered their free time sacred. "I'm currently enjoying in the sun while I collect these," Frankenstein said wryly.  
  
Muzaka crossed his arms, studying him for a second. "If I help ya collect samples, the faster you can stop and just relax?"  
  
Frankenstein blinked at him in surprise. "You're offering to?"  
  
Muzaka nodded, crouching next to him. "Scan, bag, then scan the bag, right?  
  
Frankenstein's eyebrows shot up. "You've done this before." He handed his spare scanner to Muzaka. "Yes, exactly."  
  
Muzaka shrugged, sifting through a different bush. "I've helped out on a couple expeditions."  
  
It wasn't normal to ask engineering staff to help medical staff with research, unless the crew was really short-handed, hm. But maybe on a different ship, the boundaries between crewmates weren't as clear cut.  
  
"Do you care about duplicates?" Muzaka asked, peering at the plants Frankenstein had already collected.  
  
"No," Frankenstein said as he gathered a few samples. "It'll be good to have a variety of them."  
  
"Got it."  
  
Frankenstein watched him for a minute, making sure Muzaka was doing all right. After the first two samples Muzaka collected with no difficulties, Frankenstein turned to seek out what plants he hadn't gathered yet.  
  


* * *

  
"Think we've done most of the immediate area," Muzaka said.  
  
Frankenstein nodded, his bag much fuller than it had been an hour ago. The rocky outcropping he and Muzaka had found themselves on gave them a good view of the pink sanded beach below, other officers in the sand sprawled out on it or walking around in groups.  
  
"Thank you," Frankenstein said. "You helped speed up the process immensely."  
  
Muzaka grinned. "No problem. Now, come on, let's go enjoy the sun!" He hopped off the edge of the outcropping, making Frankenstein suck in a breath until Muzaka latched onto the side, climbing down with confidence.  
  
He could start studying the plants right away but... Frankenstein peered over the edge, Muzaka gesturing him to come down. He double-checked his bag was secure and then started climbing down.  
  
It would be nice to have a break for now.


	2. Chapter 2

Frankenstein absentmindedly scratched at one of the many bug bites along his arm as he prepared the samples he and Muzaka had collected.   
  
One of the downsides to interstellar travel was that bug sprays didn't work; the bugs weren't the same from planet to planet and there was a chance any bug repellents they used could cause a chain reaction with the local fauna.   
  
He hummed, getting into the rhythm of sorting everything neatly.   
  
While annoying, bug bites were worth it in exchange of discovering new places and new items of interest.   
  
Frankenstein paused when he pulled out one plant from its bag. It was already growing roots from the bottom of its stem. Huh, interesting. It had only been a few hours since it had been gathered.   
  
The other samples hadn't shown such initiative yet, but if he could separate what caused such growth, it would benefit _Alaunus_ ' farm and garden.   
  


* * *

  
Frankenstein frowned over the piles of samples he'd created, tapping a finger on his table. Less than half of his samples showed faster growth, while the other half didn't.   
  
It wasn't one particular plant, a few duplicates in both piles or only one. Could it be the difference in the soil? But the area they'd collected them had been in close quarters with each other - the soil wouldn't be too different. None of the area had seemed more overgrown from what Frankenstein could remember, but that could be because if a plant grew too fast, it gathered resources faster while then putting it at risk of being eaten by the local fauna.   
  
Was it how they were gathered? There was a possibility of that being the case, but he was sure...   
  
Muzaka?   
  
Frankenstein reached for his screen, where all the scans were displayed. Sort by which scanner took the details...   
  
It didn't take long and Frankenstein stared between his results and the bags.   
  
It was an exact match.   
  
All the samples Muzaka had collected were the ones that showed the accelerated growth.   
  
How interesting.   
  
Frankenstein leaned back, stretching. He tapped his comms, finding Muzaka's profile, and rang it.   
  
It didn't take long for Muzaka to pick up. " _Yo, Frankenstein._ "   
  
He smiled. "Ah, good, you picked up this time."   
  
" _Heh, yeah. What's up?_ "   
  
"I'd like to talk to you about the samples we collected, if you're free?"   
  
" _Sure. I'm in the centre of the garden._ "  
  
Frankenstein nodded, tidying his samples away. "I'll be there shortly."   
  


* * *

  
The garden was the area in _Alaunus_ where they maintained flowers and plants, an ocean of colour away from the metallic wall tiles, a place to soak up the light of the artificial sun. The ceiling had a sky projected onto it, and holograms and speakers helped to give the illusion of rain and snow whenever the weather changed. The speakers also played birdsong and distant traffic, trying to capture being hidden away within a city rather than being in a ship travelling through space.   
  
It was an overcast day today, the sky grey and threatening to rain.   
  
It didn't take Frankenstein long to find Muzaka, who had stretched out on a bench, arms resting on the back.   
  
"Yo." Muzaka raised a hand in greeting. "Still workin'?"   
  
"As always," Frankenstein said with a small smile.   
  
"Heh." Muzaka shuffled over so Frankenstein could sit next to him. "So what did you find out?"  
  
"I haven't had the time to properly study them yet, but I've discovered that all the samples you collected have an enhanced growth."   
  
Muzaka's eyes went wide and he straightened. Under the light, it looked like Muzaka paled, but that wouldn't make sense. That was too strong a reaction. "Ah, shit, sorry," Muzaka said, shaking his head.   
  
"No, it's not your fault," Frankenstein said, raising his hands to placate him. "I'm just surprised that you had that effect on them." It certainly wouldn't be something that would be on his medical record.   
  
"Long term exposure to the engine, I guess?" Muzaka said with a shrug.   
  
"Possibly," Frankenstein mused, "but engines are now reinforced to make sure no radiation or energy leaks out. Otherwise, engineer lifespans would still be far shorter, like when we first started long term space travel."   
  
Muzaka grimaced.   
  
"Ah." Frankenstein shook his head. "But you knew that, of course." Muzaka worked with the engine - he would know the risks involved and what had come before.   
  
"Yeah," Muzaka said, his gaze drifting towards the sky again. "So what'll you do now?"   
  
Hm? Why was Muzaka asking that? "Continue to study them and see what I can find out about them."   
  
Muzaka turned back to him. "What about the bad samples?"   
  
Frankenstein raised his eyebrows at him. "They're not 'bad' samples. They merely have accelerated growth - they could be a separate sample group, but other than that, it should be fine."   
  
Muzaka still looked uncertain.   
  
"You tried to help," Frankenstein said. "There's no fault in that."   
  
Muzaka sighed, finally relaxing again. "Yeah, I guess."  
  


* * *

  
All of the Muzaka group samples had a consistently higher energy charge compared to the samples Frankenstein had collected. Hmm. Frankenstein wanted to discount Muzaka's suggestion that it was due to him being affected by working closely to an engine but...   
  
Muzaka's scars bothered Frankenstein. Not all ships were built as sturdy as _Alaunus_ ; if Muzaka had travelled on an older ship with less shielding around the engine, that could explain both why he affected plant life and why he hadn't had access to good medicine before his wounds scarred.  
  
Or they could be something completely unrelated.   
  
Frankenstein heard his office door hiss open.   
  
"Yo, Frankenstein, are you workin' twelve hour shifts?"   
  
He smiled at Muzaka's familiar voice, looking up. "No, I'm off-duty right now, but I prefer working here on my projects." He had more space in his office and it was much easier to access what he needed when he was close to the medical bay.   
  
Muzaka peered at what Frankenstein was working on. "The plants? That's still work."   
  
Muzaka walked forward to keep a closer look, but Frankenstein noticed he kept his hands to his back. Making sure he didn't disturb Frankenstein's work, or worry of what his touch would do?   
  
"And I enjoy it," Frankenstein said. He tilted his head at Muzaka. "Is there something wrong?" Why was Muzaka here?   
  
"Is being ill or injured the only reason why people come to visit?" Muzaka said, amused.   
  
"...Well, yes?"   
  
Muzaka pursed his lips and huffed.   
  
"So unless you're here ahead of schedule for a checkup...?" Frankenstein said, teasing.   
  
Muzaka scrunched up his face, but he didn't seem as tense as before. "Nah, I just wanted to see how you were doin'."  
  
"As you can see," Frankenstein said, gesturing to himself, "I'm doing perfectly well, as are the plants." The ones he'd planted to check their growth were thriving, in fact.  
  
Muzaka nodded, exhaling. "That's good."  
  
Frankenstein studied him. "Are you worried they had died or mutated?" he asked softly.   
  
"Nah..." Muzaka didn't say anything, his gaze fixed on the plants. "I dunno. Just makin' sure. But if you and them are fine, then I should be gettin' back to work." Before Frankenstein could say anything, Muzaka turned on his heel and left.   
  
Frankenstein watched him go until his office doors blocked his view again. Hm...  
  


* * *

  
Muzaka intrigued Frankenstein; he was a puzzle Frankenstein's mind continually circled back to. He was interested in what about the man caused the reaction to the plants, but that was his curiosity talking.   
  
The scans hadn't picked up any radiation or anything out of the ordinary that could potentially cause it. Muzaka was healthy, and from Muzaka's surprise, his reaction to plants hadn't adversely affected his life if he hadn't noticed it before. Unless it was a new development? His data still said everything was within their normal parameters.   
  
Though... What was the effect when Muzaka touched people?   
  
Frankenstein frowned as he wandered over to the closest monitor, thinking over his interactions with Muzaka. At no point had they ever had physical contact with each other, and he felt no different than usual.   
  
He brought up the profiles of all the engineering officers, going through each one.   
  
It took a while, but he found nothing. There was no changes in any of engineering officers that could be solely attributed to working on shift with Muzaka, when they were the most likely to come in contact with him.   
  
Maybe it was due to plants having more potential to continue growing throughout their lifetime that they were affected by Muzaka's touch?   
  
It was something he would continue to keep an eye on.   
  


* * *

  
"Well, at least yer easy to find."  
  
Frankenstein smiled, looking up from his slides. "You could call to see where I am."   
  
Muzaka snorted, walking into Frankenstein's office. He stood a step further back than he had the last time he had visited. "No point when yer always in here."   
  
"Hmm, true. Another check on myself and the plants?"   
  
Muzaka nodded.   
  
Frankenstein straightened with a sigh, powering down the magnifier. "Are you worried that I'm also affected by your presence?"   
  
Muzaka didn't say anything for a few seconds. "A little, yeah." He let out a big exhale, crossing his arms. "I didn't know I had that effect on livin' things."  
  
"If you hadn't noticed anything by now, then it's doubtful you adversely affect people," Frankenstein said. "How often do you touch another person?"  
  
Muzaka hesitated, his gaze drifting to the side. "Not that often, honestly. I don't think I've initiated touching someone?" He shrugged. "I get claps on the back sometimes, but that's it."   
  
That could explain why Muzaka hadn't noticed it before. The majority of humans craved physical contact but from what Frankenstein had seen of Muzaka so far, Muzaka hadn't tried to seek it out, nor showed any of the symptoms of being affected by the lack.   
  
"Does it worry you?"   
  
Muzaka blinked at him, his focus on him again. "The lack of touch, or the effect it might have on people?"  
  
"Both."  
  
Muzaka shrugged. "I'm fine with the lack of touch, and if that means I haven't been affectin' people all this time, that's fine too."   
  
Ah. "Which means you _are_ worried about the effect of your touch." Sometimes it wasn't what a person said, but what they didn't say.   
  
Muzaka's shoulders rose up slightly as he looked away with a sigh. "Yeah, a bit."  
  
Frankenstein took two steps closer to Muzaka, holding his hand out.  
  
Muzaka's eyes widened as he approached. "Oi."   
  
"This will let you know for sure, won't it?" Frankenstein said, still holding his hand up.   
  
"I don't want ya dying, just to find out!" Muzaka protested, taking a step back.   
  
Frankenstein swept his free hand towards his plants. "They're still alive, and quite happy."   
  
Muzaka squinted at them, frowning. He still didn't come closer.   
  
Looked like he would have to convince Muzaka. "This journey isn't safe," Frankenstein said. "There's always a chance we may be attacked for one reason or another, or we come in contact with something that aversely affects us.  
  
"It's my job to study these issues and see if I can find a way to decrease its effect on the crew. _Your_ effect however, hasn't made any difference to the engineering officers who have spent long shifts in close proximity to you." He shook his head. "That's why I doubt direct touch would make much difference."   
  
Muzaka just stared at him. "You've checked all that already? Do you sleep at all?"   
  
Frankenstein chuckled softly. "Comparing trends in changes within a group is rather easy." The computer was able to find everyone needed and chart it for him to see.   
  
"You really are always workin'."   
  
"And doing so will alleviate your worry."  
  
Muzaka grimaced. "Or increase it."   
  
"But then you will know for sure if you should avoid skin-to-skin touch in the future." Certainty over uncertainty.   
  
Muzaka pursed his lips. "You're _sure_?"  
  
Frankenstein nodded.   
  
Muzaka stared at Frankenstein's hand for five long seconds before he gritted his teeth and clasped Frankenstein's hand. "All right."   
  
Muzaka's hand was...a hand. Warm to the touch and Frankenstein could feel his heartbeat thrum under his skin.   
  
When Muzaka tried to pull his hand away, Frankenstein gripped it, holding him in place.   
  
"Oi."   
  
"You touched the plants for longer," Frankenstein pointed out. It wouldn't be much of a test if they didn't keep the conditions similar.   
  
"Yeah, but-" Muzaka's hand warmed under the prolonged contact, and hm.   
  
When Frankenstein let go, he turned his hand over, showing his palm to Muzaka. Nothing. Which didn't say much, seeing how the samples had all looked the same in the beginning.   
  
Frankenstein grabbed his portable scanner, running it over his hand. "No immediate change," he told Muzaka.   
  
"You don't feel any different?" Muzaka said, looking like he wanted to step closer, but holding himself back.   
  
Frankenstein assessed himself and how he was feeling, and then shook his head. "No."   
  
"Hnnng."   
  
Frankenstein smiled softly at him. "I'm in the med bay - if something were to happen to me, I don't have far to go."   
  
Muzaka narrowed his eyes at him, before glancing at Frankenstein's door. "An' how often do people come into your office?"  
  
At that, Frankenstein hesitated. "Not that often, admittedly." He was usually found on his rounds, and usually only came to his office once his shift was done.   
  
Muzaka crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall. "Then I'll stay."   
  
Frankenstein smiled. "Very well."


	3. Chapter 3

"Do you have anything to occupy yourself with?" Frankenstein asked as he placed a new slide onto the microscope. As much as he appreciated Muzaka wanting to make sure he was all right, he didn't want Muzaka to be bored either.   
  
"Heh, I can't exactly bring my hoverbike in here to work on," Muzaka said from Frankenstein's desk.  
  
"Oh? Is that what you do in your spare time?" Interesting. But yes, there wasn't enough space in Frankenstein's office for a hoverbike engine, let alone the full machine.   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"Then go to her," Frankenstein said. When he looked over at Muzaka's silence, Muzaka's lips were a thin line.   
  
"I'm safe here," Frankenstein continued, picking up his scanner again. One more scan and he nodded. "There's still no change."   
  
"How long did it take before you noticed the difference?" Muzaka asked.   
  
Frankenstein hummed, thinking it over. "A couple of hours," he said. "Not a full day later."   
  
"So there's still time."   
  
Frankenstein raised an eyebrow, amused. "Are you suggesting you'll follow me to bed to make sure I'm all right?"   
  
"If it means you won't be alone for someone to check on ya, yeah," Muzaka replied with no hesitation.   
  
Frankenstein shook his head, still smiling. "I'll send a message in the morning. Go and do something that isn't staring at the walls."   
  
Muzaka studied him for a few seconds and then nodded. "If you're sure."   
  
"I am."   
  
"All right," Muzaka stood up from Frankenstein's chair and stretched. Frankenstein was surprised to not hear Muzaka's joints crack considering how he hadn't moved much in the past couple hours. ...Had it been that long? Damn. He should have made the suggestion earlier but Muzaka probably wouldn't have been satisfied if he had.   
  
"But thank you, for staying."   
  
Muzaka shrugged. "Just make sure you contact me, all right?"   
  
"I will," Frankenstein said, hearing Muzaka leave.   
  


* * *

  
Frankenstein slipped into his bed, his eyes already drooping. But he had promised Muzaka. He picked up his communications stick, its screen lighting up and hovering above it. He flicked to the messages window, finding Muzaka easily enough.   
  
`[I'm still alive as of 01:00. F]`  
  
The icon to show the recipient was typing showed up almost instantly. `[For a doctor, I would have thought you would sleep earlier.]`  
  
Frankenstein smiled. `[Being a doctor involves a lot of work and long nights. F]  
  
[And it's better for your health if you have more sleep.]`  
  
Frankenstein chuckled at that, yawning. `[True. Thank you for your concern. F]`  
  
He set the stick down, the screen disappearing. He switched the lights off and was asleep instantly.   
  


* * *

  
Frankenstein woke up well enough a few hours later. He felt well rested and when he got out of his bed, his night clothes still fit him the same as they had the night before. His hand was unchanged as well.   
  
`[Still alive and still the same height. F]` he sent to Muzaka. There was no immediate response and Frankenstein went to get ready. Muzaka was probably busy.   
  


* * *

  
When Frankenstein entered the cafeteria, he smiled at the sight of Muzaka, leaning an elbow on a table, resting his chin in his palm as he ate.   
  
It didn't take long to collect breakfast and Muzaka hadn't moved away just yet.   
  
"Morning," Frankenstein said, taking a chair opposite Muzaka. "Night shift?"  
  
"Yeah," Muzaka said, his eyes half-lidded. "She's been actin' up lately, so she needed more checks an' tests."   
  
Frankenstein nodded, starting to eat. "As you can see, I'm still alive and myself, so you're free to go to sleep."   
  
Muzaka narrowed his eyes at him. "Or maybe I'm hallucinatin' you."   
  
"Then you _definitely_ need to sleep," Frankenstein said lightly. "Doctor's orders."   
  
Muzaka made a grumbling sound, grimacing. "Fine. I'll see ya later," he said as he collected his tray.  
  
"Of course."  
  


* * *

  
Throughout the day, Frankenstein felt no different than usual. He'd scanned himself in the lull between seeing patients, but there had been no wild changes.   
  
Frankenstein sat in his office chair with a soft groan, leaning his head on the headrest. That did feel nice.   
  
He opened his eyes a slit when his office door slid open. Someone else who was needing seen?   
  
He smiled at the sight of Muzaka, looking far more alert than the last time they'd met.   
  
"Did you at least go out for lunch?" Muzaka said with a shake of the head.   
  
"I was able to grab something quick," Frankenstein said. "And everything is as it should be," he said before Muzaka could ask.  
  
Muzaka smiled softly. "Ready for dinner then?"   
  
Frankenstein laughed, pushing himself to his feet again. "More than."  
  


* * *

  
Frankenstein hummed as he watched the stars move past the window he and Muzaka had been able get a table at. He turned his attention back to Muzaka as they started eating. "Are you convinced yet that I'm not going to mutate into something just because we touched?" Which, in all honesty, was an actual hazard with explorative space travel.   
  
Muzaka poked at his food, frowning. "Can ya blame me for bein' worried?"   
  
"Not really."  
  
"But...yeah, I do feel better knowin' now," Muzaka said. "Thanks."  
  
Frankenstein smiled at him.   
  


* * *

  
The area they teleported down for their next shore leave was another beach-like area, the sea a bright violet. The sand was bigger, more like shining rocks with much larger flat ones that were as long as an adult. Those ones had a dip or fissure that had collected water in them, and Frankenstein eyed them with distrust. He knew there was going to be at least one fractured bone in the med bay caused by a bad fall.   
  
"You collectin' again?" Muzaka said, walking over.   
  
"Of course," Frankenstein said. "Do you want to help?"  
  
Muzaka looked across at the flora around them, his hands jammed in his trouser pockets. "I can give you company instead?"   
  
"That is more than enough," Frankenstein said, already heading for the closest plant that had caught his interest.   
  
It didn't take long for the sounds of chatter to fade in the distance, Muzaka pointing out other plants while Frankenstein collected his samples.   
  
"What are you plan-"  
  
"Frankenstein!" Muzaka hissed, cutting him off.  
  
Frankenstein froze, hearing the sharp command in Muzaka's tone, that he'd spotted something out of place. Something dangerous?  
  
He slowly stretched up from his crouch, trying to see what Muzaka had.   
  
There was a group of aliens on the other side of the small clearing they were in. They were a little shorter than Frankenstein, four dark eyes peering at them from under their wide-rimmed leaf hats. They were quadrupeds, with a more humanoid top half where a head would be on a human animal, like a centaur. Their clothes were the same shade of yellow as the leaves around them and bulky enough that Frankenstein couldn't see more details of their true shape. They weren't a race Frankenstein had seen before, nor their clothes one that Frankenstein recognised.   
  
The four of them were also pointing phasers at them.   
  
Frankenstein raised his hands, leaving his samples by his feet.   
  
When the leader of the group called out to them, Frankenstein blinked, shaking his head. The universal translator usually helped to cross the language barrier, but all he heard a jumble of what sounded like growls, interspersed with other low sounds that he wasn't sure his throat could emulate.   
  
If the translator didn't work, then the aliens were a race that humans hadn't been in contact with before.   
  
It was something Frankenstein would have normally been excited about, to learn more about them, but not when he had phasers pointed at his chest.   
  
Frankenstein snapped his head to Muzaka, his eyes wide, when Muzaka replied in the same language, one growl so deep Frankenstein was sure that must have come straight from his chest.   
  
The aliens seemed as surprised as Frankenstein was, starting a flurry of an exchange that was too fast for Frankenstein to follow, even if he could understand what was being said.   
  
It didn't last long, the aliens storing their phasers away as two scurried away.   
  
"How-" Frankenstein exhaled, dropping his hands. "How did you know what they were saying?"  
  
"Huh?" Muzaka scratched his cheek. "I learned their language?"   
  
"How were you not snapped up by the comms division?" Frankenstein murmured, staring in the direction the aliens had disappeared in. To fluently know a language that hadn't been fully recorded yet... That was rare, and very valued.   
  
"Eh," Muzaka said, shrugging. "I can pick up the important parts of a language and I like talkin' with people, but I can't do that all day. Listening to the hum of an engine through..." He smiled wistfully.   
  
Frankenstein saw the aliens return with more in tow.   
  
"What did you tell them?"   
  
"I let 'em know we're here and they're gathering a welcoming committee for us - they're also bringing their doctor so you can chat about what they use their plants for."   
  
Frankenstein perked up, instantly picking out the alien who had a holo-pad in their six-fingered grasp. "Thank you!"  
  
"Heh, no problem."  
  


* * *

  
Muzaka leaned on Frankenstein's shoulder as they walked through _Alaunus_ ' corridors, his feet dragging a little. Their extended meeting with the hurroffs had taken quite the toll on Muzaka.   
  
"How's your throat?" Frankenstein asked as Muzaka led him to his private quarters.   
  
Muzaka grumbled something before he grimaced. "As well as expected." His voice rasped, which Frankenstein wasn't surprised at, considering what he'd been making his throat do over the last number of hours. "Thanks for gettin' me outta there."   
  
Frankenstein laughed softly. "You were starting to look like a caged animal every time dela Cruz approached you for more clarification." No, while Muzaka could learn a language, he wasn't passionate about the sheer amount of interactions that would force him into. "It would have been cruel to let that continue."   
  
"Wasn't sure if dela Cruz was tryin' to torture me by tryna wring out every little detail," Muzaka grumbled.   
  
"The wrong connotation has strained enough relations already," Frankenstein pointed out.   
  
"Yeah, well, hopefully I gave enough basics dela Cruz won't need to seek me out again."  
  
Frankenstein tried to hide his smile. He really did.   
  
Muzaka saw it anyway and he grimaced. "Do I need ta hide from my messages again?"  
  
"From what I've heard of her, dela Cruz can be rather...persistent in her work."   
  
"An' that's comin' from _you_." Muzaka huffed before studying him. "Can I get a doctor's note? Sayin' I've got somethin' contagious?   
  
Frankenstein raised his eyebrows, still smiling. "And how is that meant to stop you from receiving messages? I'm sure there are people who would welcome being contacted while they're ill to distract them."   
  
"Not me, nope." Muzaka shook his head furiously. "Zero contact. None. It also screwed with my throat. Can't talk."   
  
"Again, unless whatever malaise you have unfortunately suddenly developed has also taken your motor and eye control, you could still be able to answer a message."   
  
"But there _is_ somethin' I could have which meant I can't respond?" Muzaka said hopefully.   
  
"I'm not informing other crewmembers that you've slipped into a coma."   
  
Muzaka grimaced. "Damn. Hiding it is." He looked to their right and brightened. "Here we are."   
  
"Will you be able to reach your bed with no trouble?" Frankenstein asked. Muzaka, while tired, didn't seem quite exhausted enough to trip over his own feet, but that could be due to having support.   
  
Muzaka opened his door with the swipe of his hand before he peered into his quarters. It was clean and sparsely decorated, almost looking like someone had only just moved in, and not spent years in already. "Yeah, I can make that." He let go of Frankenstein's shoulder, walking in. "Thanks f'r everythin'."  
  
"I wasn't going to let you stumble home by yourself," Frankenstein said, shaking his head.   
  
"Such a nice doc, heh." Muzaka grinned at him. "Night."   
  
"Goodnight," Frankenstein said, hearing the door hiss shut as he left.   
  
Now to decide if he wanted to start working on his samples right now or head to bed himself...  



	4. Chapter 4

  
Frankenstein looked around the hangar bay, seeing the usual maintenance workers on the smaller transport ships. He smiled seeing the familiar head of silver hair he was seeking out.   
  
"And you said _I_ worked too much," he said as a greeting once he was within earshot.   
  
Muzaka looked up from the hoverbike he was working on with a grin. He was in civilian clothes, an oil stain on his cheek where he'd rubbed at it. "Hey, at least I get outta the engine room for _my_ hobby. What's up?"  
  
"I wanted to see how you were doing, if you'd recovered yet."  
  
Muzaka shook his head, still grinning. "See? Still workin'."   
  
"And is it wrong to worry over people?"  
  
"Naw," Muzaka said, starting to work on the hoverbike again.   
  
"Is this the one you mentioned before?" Frankenstein asked, watching him work.   
  
"Yeah! Wanna see how she runs once I'm done?"   
  
Frankenstein blinked, and then looked around at the hangar. While spacious enough to give a good runway, with the sheer amount of people crossing the way, they would risk hitting someone every second.   
  
"During the next shore leave, heh," Muzaka said, reaching for the spanner to his right. It was just out of reach and Frankenstein picked it up, handing it to him. Their fingers brushed against each other and while Muzaka paused, he didn't instantly jerk away.   
  
Muzaka weighed the spanner in his hand for a second, just studying Frankenstein, before nodding to himself and starting to work again. "So are you in?"   
  
"Is this a ploy to get me to stop working?" Frankenstein said, amused.   
  
Muzaka grinned at him. "Only if you want to."   
  
If he wanted to, huh? "Then I may take you up on your offer." It had been a while since Frankenstein had ridden a hoverbike.   
  
Muzaka's grin widened. "It's a date!"   


* * *

  
Frankenstein watched the stars by his office window slow, feeling the thrum of the engine in the walls. His office was in the wrong side of the ship to see what the new planet looked like but - he looked up at his office door hissing open.   
  
Muzaka walked in, a black helmet held in one hand, a second tucked under his arm.   
  
Ah, of course.   
  
Muzaka lifted a brow at him. "Did ya forget?" he asked, holding out one of the helmets.   
  
"Only momentarily," Frankenstein said, collecting a helmet from him. "We're going somewhere more urban, I hope?" While hoverbikes didn't have wheels, they still hovered about the ground at a set distance so were more suited to flat ground, and it would be far easier if they wouldn't need to dodge around trees or other foliage.   
  
"Of course!"  
  
Collecting the bike didn't take long and soon enough, they were planetside, people bustling around them. The city they were in was far more suited for a hoverbike, with brightly lit buildings stretching out as far as the eye could see, as well as clusters of skyscrapers and floating islands in the air.   
  
They'd touched down as dawn happened and Frankenstein watched the sun climb the sky, turning everything a hue of oranges and pinks, as Muzaka did his final checks.   
  
"She's ready," Muzaka said from his seat, the bike already in the air as he slipped his helmet on. "You?"   
  
"Yes," Frankenstein said, doing the same. He climbed on, wrapping his hands around Muzaka's waist. "Is this all right?"  
  
Muzaka didn't say anything for a few seconds, and then nodded. "Yeah."   
  
Muzaka kicked off, the bike humming to life. After twisting around some vehicles and winding through busy streets for a while, they found themselves on open roads, the city at their back.   
  
Frankenstein watched the sun rise higher above the horizon, only hearing the thrum of the bike's engine. "She seems to be running smoothly," he said.   
  
"Yep," Muzaka said, their helmets' communications connected with each other. "Wanna see what she can do?"  
  
Frankenstein looked at Muzaka, even though the other man couldn't see him. "So long as you're not breaking any laws."   
  
"The bike's standard issue and I'll keep below the speeding limit." He could hear Muzaka's grin.   
  
Frankenstein smiled, holding onto Muzaka tighter. "Good." He braced himself when the bike sped up, but otherwise, the ride still felt the same.   
  
The area closest to the road blurred but the horizon stayed the same, the sky settling into a light blue.   
  
They continued riding, though Frankenstein paid attention when Muzaka looked over his shoulder. He couldn't see him through the visor, but knew Muzaka was looking at him.   
  
"You all right? You've been pretty quiet."  
  
Frankenstein smiled. "I'm just enjoying the view. I don't tend to spend a lot of time just taking it in."  
  
"Heh." Muzaka started watching the road again. "See? You needed an actual break, not a working holiday."   
  
Yes, it did seem like that.   


* * *

  
They found themselves in a quiet town a while later and they stopped at a cafe whose outside area overlooked the snow capped mountains in the distance.   
  
They didn't need Muzaka's language skills here, though Muzaka had still taken charge of ordering breakfast. There were a few other patrons at the other tables, catching up on the news in the holoscreens by their tables.  
  
"Here," Muzaka said, setting a plate in front of Frankenstein. He recognised fried eggs and sausages, but there was one side Frankenstein hadn't seen before - it was a circle of dull red, some kind of salad mix pressed around for a second outside circle. "I think you'll like it."   
  
"Just how far travelled are you?" Frankenstein asked, cutting into the new food. Muzaka seemed to know a bit about everything, no matter where what planet they arrived at.   
  
The meat had more pepper-like spice than he'd expected, but it was offset by the cool salad. It wasn't a texture he'd had before, crumbling in his mouth than needing to be chewed. He hummed in appreciation, trying more.   
  
"Heh, just been around a lot," Muzaka said, digging into his own meal.   
  
"Always as an engineer?" Frankenstein asked.   
  
"Nah." Muzaka shrugged. "Just went with whoever would take me. I learned what I could and moved on from there." He paused to eat a bit of bread. "But I think I've settled on engines for now." He smiled at Frankenstein. "Every ship needs one."   
  
"As well as linguists," Frankenstein said, teasing. His smile grew at Muzaka's grimace. But that had answered his question about Muzaka's scars.   
  
"And you? You always been a doctor?"   
  
Frankenstein nodded. "I've been on a few ships, always travelling further from Earth. I've wanted to go into the uncharted areas of space since I was a boy." He may have missed the initial exploration expeditions, but with each passing year, _Alaunus_ was getting closer and closer to areas that had yet to be seen before.   
  
"What would you do if you ever met a race that had been undiscovered before?" Muzaka asked, hands around his cup of what looked like tea.   
  
"You mean there's one you haven't encountered yet?" Frankenstein asked wryly.   
  
Muzaka laughed, his tea threatening to spill out of his cup. "Yeah, I left you just the one to discover yerself," he said, grinning.   
  
"Thank you for your kind generosity," Frankenstein said, smiling. He thought it over as he ate more of breakfast. "It would depend on the circumstances, I suppose. but I would want to learn more about them, of course." It was why he had studied so hard to get onto a space ship in the first place, after all.   
  
Muzaka smiled, sipping his tea as their conversation turned to other things.  


* * *

  
Frankenstein frowned at the results displayed on his screen. That wasn't... He pulled up the results of the other plant he'd allowed to die, to see how they broke down. It would be good to know if he could feed the plants to the garden or the farm, or if their nutrients would be incompatible but...   
  
While Muzaka's sample group only had an accelerated growth rate for a while, and they kept a higher charge in comparison to his sample group, when they broke down, there were also elevated levels of hydrogen and _helium_? His own sample group didn't break down the same and Frankenstein continued studying the results.   
  
He knew what they were telling him, but it didn't make sense. Why were the base elements of _stars_ elevated in the plants that Muzaka had touched?   
  
The radiation theory still held water, but engine radiation didn't act like that, no matter how old or badly shielded the engine had been.   
  
Frankenstein pursed his lips. There was a puzzle in front of him, and he wanted to figure out the answer.   
  
No. He _had_ to.   


* * *

  
Finding traces of hydrogen and helium on a planet wasn't strange. For carbon based lifeforms, hydrogen was essential to live.   
  
It was the transfer of them that was the issue.   
  
It wasn't the first time someone with that effect had been found. Of course not. With the number of individuals in the known universe, with how many worlds had been connected through space travel, it was impossible to be alone, no matter how much it sometimes felt like it.   
  
Frankenstein skimmed the report he'd found. It was a couple centuries old, long before the current digitisation of information, so some of the details were corrupted, unreadable. But it recounted an encounter with a humanoid being whose touch enhanced plant growth, leaving traces of hydrogen and helium in her wake.  
  
A different report, a century later, meeting two humanoid beings whose silver hair shimmered like stars, who elevated hydrogen and helium levels around them.   
  
It was hard to sift through all the other reports that talked about stars and yet, Frankenstein continued returning back to that thought. It was important, the fact they imparted what stars were made of.  
  
Frankenstein stared at his screen. They transferred the base elements of stars. Because that was what they were made of?   
  
No. Muzaka wasn't comprised of just hydrogen and helium. That would have shown up on the scans.   
  
That...always seemed to twitch whenever he used them on Muzaka. Frankenstein had assumed the machinery was getting old, but they hadn't done it again with anyone else, aside from that one blip.   
  
A third report, of a humanoid who wasn't injured even after being blasted by a phaser point blank to the chest. The phaser blast had just shot through them, leaving them in tact, as if they were a hologram. And yet they could still touch the world around them.   
  
Frankenstein wasn't even sure how he'd stumbled across the third report. He'd gone down a wormhole of searching for almost cryptids. Brief meetings of aliens who had never stuck around for long. Unexplained happenings.   
  
Anything that reminded him of Muzaka.   
  
Muzaka had a physical body. He knew that. The engineering staff knew that. It would take less than a week to discover if a hologram was trying to pretend to be someone of flesh and blood.   
  
Stars were made of gas, something not solid.   
  
It couldn't be a star condensing themselves into a body - the sheer amount of pressure needed to make something that huge into human-sized and solid, and they would freeze everything they touched, not make them grow.   
  
Not to mention, stars weren't sentient. ...Were they? Humans and the aliens they came in contact with could only communicate in a way that could they could understand. Using vocal chords, body language and mind to mind connections.   
  
Had they missed a way for stars to communicate, their scans on the wrong wave length or frequency to pick anything up?   
  
Communication, like how Muzaka had communicated with the hurroffs. Frankenstein checked through the records - no humans had ever been in contact with them before. Hurroffs had been mentioned by other races before, but not often.   
  
Just like the star people.   
  
They had hardly ever encountered humans and didn't stick around to exchange more information between them. They didn't want to be found...? Kept themselves hidden?  
  
Frankenstein stumbled, bracing his hand on the edge of the table as _Alaunus_ rocked for a second. The lights flickered and then stabilised but Frankenstein was already leaving his office, listening for announcements or comms. He could feel _Alaunus_ slowing down and that was one of two things, if not both: they were being attacked, or something big had happened with the engine.


	5. Chapter 5

There had been no code alarm by the time Frankenstein reached the emergency room and that was one less thing to worry about. Which meant it was the engine...   
  
Atyeri was there by the time he arrived, as was two unconscious wheezing engineering officers. Frankenstein could smell the smoke off them, see their charred uniforms and almost blackened skin along their arms.   
  
It was a flurry of activity then, finding out what happened between stabilising each officer who came in.   
  
Muzaka wasn't amongst their number, but witnesses had said he'd been the one who had dragged out most of the officers.   
  
Lucky he hadn't been caught in the initial blast. Lucky he hadn't been affected by the smoke-filled air. Yet. Lucky lucky lucky.   
  
Frankenstein's stomach was a tight knot of worry, even though he _knew_ \- but he didn't. Not quite.   
  
He had to focus on what was happening right now. Wait for Muzaka to show up. He had to show up.   
  
Frankenstein almost ran when he heard Muzaka was being sent through.   
  
"Need support?" Atyeri called out as he went past, and he shook his head. Not in the way she assumed.   
  
"Keep focusing on her." The officer Atyeri was tending to had mostly stabilised but there was still much left to be done.   
  
Muzaka was already there when he arrived, curled up on the emergency bed, breathing hard. The emergency room doors closed behind Frankenstein, shutting off most of the noise in the rest of the med bay.   
  
"Hey, doc," Muzaka said, smiling weakly.   
  
"Are you really lucky if the engine blows while on your shift?" Frankenstein said, pulling out his scanner. Luck had different forms though. Muzaka's skin was only slightly redder than it usually was, one of his sleeves burned off.   
  
"Lucky I was around to help?" Muzaka's voice sounded almost normal. Not struggling to breathe after continuous smoke inhalation.   
  
"That's what everyone is saying," Frankenstein murmured, scanning Muzaka.   
  
"An' I'm pretty lucky to get out unscathed, heh," Muzaka said.   
  
Frankenstein kept his eyes on the scanner screen. "That would depend on what your definition of 'unscathed' is." He caught the screen jitter, the numbers twitch and changing for a second before settling. The results were nothing too dangerous. Normal.   
  
Too normal. No adrenaline spike, increased heart rate or CO levels, and no decrease in oxygen levels either. Nothing to indicate Muzaka had just been a situation where he'd been lacking in oxygen and trying to save other people's lives.   
  
Frankenstein pursed his lips.   
  
"Yes, it _would_ appear that you were very lucky to came out as you have," Frankenstein said, seeing the relief flash across Muzaka's face when he looked over the top of the scanner monitor. The scanner that he'd just printed the day before and would have no reason to already be glitching. And yet...whenever he used some kind of monitoring device on Muzaka, there was a brief hiccup.   
  
"But I can't let you leave right now," Frankenstein continued, "no matter what my scanner says. I would rather know how you _really_ feel and what you need."   
  
Muzaka had the expression of a trapped animal again, eyes wide and his lips parted, and Frankenstein exhaled, crossing his arms.   
  
"As much as I appreciate what you've done, and what you're trying to do, there's no time for this, so I will lay out what I know: you are some kind of physical manifestation of a celestial body, if not _the_ Muzaka galaxy." He wasn't sure _how_ that was possible, but that was what all the hints he'd found pointed to. But there was so much in the universe he didn't know that anything was possible.   
  
"As you haven't shown any aggression or maleficent attitudes, I'm inclined to let the exact question of what you are slide," Frankenstein continued. "That's not what's important now. You have saved crewmembers' lives without hesitation and at great risk of yourself, so let me _help you_."   
  
"I - I have no idea what you're talkin' about?" Muzaka said, his eyes wider after everything Frankenstein said.   
  
Frankenstein's scanner screen glitched again, the lights in the emergency room dimming for a second. Energy. Right. Of course.   
  
"Do you need an energy source to drain from?" he asked, running through what high powered machinery that were readily available nearby that weren't currently needed.   
  
Muzaka gaped at him. "Wait - how did you-?"  
  
"People talk about work during their checkups," Frankenstein said. "Someone had complained about the engine leaking energy the last time you 'luckily' escaped grievous injury."   
  
Muzaka winced but didn't say anything to that.   
  
Frankenstein sighed. "You're a member of this crew, and it's my duty to make sure everyone is as healthy and pain free as possible. _That_ is my top priority. Now, what do you need?" For all he knew, Muzaka was dying, only just able to keep his form together - every second that ticked past was one he couldn't get back.   
  
Muzaka stared at him for five long seconds before exhaling, relaxing as - his skin shimmered, pinpricks of light shining through.   
  
Not a star. A galaxy shining throughout Muzaka's skin.   
  
"...Heh," Muzaka murmured, not looking at him, his gaze fixed at the floor. "All these centuries and you're the first one to figure it out."   
  
The confirmation of his guess didn't bring the joy it normally would have. What Muzaka was wasn't important right now.   
  
"I don't really need anythin' right now," Muzaka said, making Frankenstein narrow his eyes at him. Was he still pretending? "Just time to settle down again." He exhaled, drawing in on himself a little. "I could do with a couple energy cells though."   
  
Frankenstein nodded, opening a panel in the wall and collected one of the big energy generators. They were usually used when they went planetside, with solar panels on the side if its charge ran out.   
  
Muzaka's eyes were wide as Frankenstein connected it to the wall and brought it over, setting it next to him. "Do you need a way to access it more directly?" Frankenstein asked.   
  
"Nah." Muzaka lay a hand on top of it. Nothing happened as far as Frankenstein could see, but Muzaka's breathing evened out, the stars across Muzaka's skin dimming as he looked more solid. "Thanks." His grimace was in contrast to his words.  
  
"No good?" Frankenstein said. "Or do you need more?"  
  
"Nothing like that," Muzaka said with a soft chuckle. "The engine energy just feels better. Maybe 'cause I'm so used to it now."   
  
Frankenstein hummed, his gaze drifting. Muzaka had needed to draw energy by touching the generator, which would mean he would need to touch the engine. "No-one's going to be allowed in the engine room for a while yet." If whatever happened had even been contained yet.   
  
Muzaka shook his head. "You've done enough. I'm good. Go check the others."  
  
Frankenstein eyed him, lips pursed.   
  
Muzaka smiled at him, looking more relaxed than he had when he'd first arrived. "I'm not going to explode in a cluster of stars now." Was that what would happen when Muzaka died...? Or was he joking?   
  
"...All right," Frankenstein said, grudgingly. "If anything should change, contact me _immediately_."   
  
"Got it, doc," Muzaka said, curling closer to the generator.   
  


* * *

  
They didn't lose anyone with the explosion. Lots of burns and smoke inhalation, but no lives were lost.   
  
Frankenstein went to the room Muzaka had been moved to, and found him sipping water through a straw when he arrived.   
  
"You saved a lot of lives today," Frankenstein said.   
  
Muzaka smiled softly. "Yeah, the nurses told me." He didn't say anything for a few seconds, gazing down at his cup. "So what now?"   
  
"You'll stay here until I'm sure you're actually feeling better," Frankenstein said. "But to do that, I'll need _accurate_ readings."   
  
Muzaka winced. "Do you really need 'em?"  
  
"Yes. It'll be harder to know if something is wrong without them."   
  
Muzaka sipped his water, his gaze drifting towards the wall. He sighed. "All right."   
  
This time, when Frankenstein scanned Muzaka, there was no glitch across his screen and the results that displayed there showed an overwhelming ratio of hydrogen and helium. "You'll have to tell me what's out of balance."  
  
He got a blank look at that. Did Muzaka not know...?  
  
"We'll learn together, then?" Frankenstein said. "I'll need a scan when you're feeling better, so we can know what youre baseline is."  
  
Muzaka grumbled, but Frankenstein could see the smile in his eyes. "I need to come back for my checkup?"  
  
Frankenstein smiled. "Yes."  


* * *

  
"Yo, Frankenstein," Muzaka said as he entered the med bay. "I'm here for my checkup."   
  
"Ah, good." Frankenstein directed him towards the big scanner. "I didn't need to chase you this time."   
  
"Heh, you can probably understand why I was avoidin' it before."   
  
It seemed understandable. "For fear of being caught?"  
  
Muzaka nodded. "Yeah, and manipulatin' all the machines gave me a headache."   
  
Frankenstein was interested how he did that. If Muzaka could draw energy directly from containers, could he use that energy to manipulate other machines around him? "How long exactly have you been travelling?" he asked instead. "It's been, well, centuries since aliens have tried to pretend to be human to hide under the radar."   
  
Muzaka shrugged. "Centuries."  
  
...Right. That made sense. And explained how Muzaka had gathered so much knowledge of the universe around them.   
  
"It ended up being a habit to do it," Muzaka continued, "and a lot easier than trying to explain what I am."   
  
"Which would be physical manifestation of the Muzaka galaxy?" Frankenstein hazarded. He hadn't found any other clues in other ships' reports while he waited for Muzaka to appear again. It wasn't right, Frankenstein knew - they would have known if the Muzaka galaxy had just disappeared one day, especially centuries ago.  
  
Muzaka chuckled, shaking his head. "Almost. The embodiment of the Muzaka galaxy."  
  
A kind of hive mind? But on a celestial scale. The minds could move around the universe while their bodies stayed in place. Amazing. "I'm...surprised you chose the family name Starr for yourself, and not Galaxy." So many questions he wanted to ask, but he could only as one at a time!   
  
Muzaka grinned at that. "I used ta go by that, but everyone picked up on it, so I decided to change it."  
  
"And Starr was your next go-to," Frankenstein said wryly. There wasn't much difference between them.   
  
"Yeah! I was interested in explorin', not making up a huge in-depth backstory." Muzaka shrugged. "And it was easy to remember."   
  
There was no screen jitter this time, and Frankenstein exhaled, seeing the results. There was more hydrogen in comparison to last time, more trace elements. Frankenstein nodded, committing the numbers to memory, saving the data on a stick.   
  
"Here," Frankenstein said, ejecting the stick and holding it out towards Muzaka.   
  
"Huh?" Muzaka blinked at the stick, but eventually took it.   
  
"That has your baseline data on it, saved under a new profile." Muzaka's eyes widened. "This way, you will at least know what's normal in the future, and if you want or need to share that information with someone, it's available."   
  
"But don't you need this?" Muzaka asked, still holding onto the stick.   
  
"For a quick reference, yes," Frankenstein said. "But do I need it saved on your file? No. Especially when I won't be the only one who can access your details."   
  
Muzaka stared at the stick for a second, a small smile on his lips. "Thank you."   
  
"You're welcome," Frankenstein said, double-checking nothing had been saved elsewhere on the scanner. "Now, if you could come to my office, and we'll discuss what affects and helps you in more detail." There was too much chance of someone walking in and overhearing what they were talking about.   
  
"Sure thing, doc," Muzaka said, tucking the stick away.   
  


* * *

  
"Yo," Muzaka called out when he entered Frankenstein's office, hoverbike helmets in hand. "You should bring some extra sample bags for this one."  
  
Frankenstein raised his eyebrows, but did as Muzaka suggested. "Is this going to be a surprise or are you going to tell me beforehand?"  
  
Muzaka just grinned at him, handing him his helmet. "I thought you wanted to discover things yourself?"   
  
"I do. I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't need to bring anything else." Frankenstein considered his sample bags for a second, before adding more, just in case. "That should be enough."   
  
Muzaka nodded, coming close enough to bump shoulders with Frankenstein as he walked up alongside him.   
  
Yes, while Frankenstein had missed the initial exploration expeditions, he was lucky to have had the chance to meet Muzaka.


End file.
